The United States is in day 3 of a government shutdown. Republicans are trying to get the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obama Care) reversed while the President is trying to keep it in place. In the meantime many government agencies are shut down and their employees are going without pay, many have in fact lost their jobs and will need to reapply due to contract agreements. Congress and other top brass are still being paid.
Also being affected are National Parks and Museums. This goes beyond affecting people on vacation. Veterans visiting the World War II Memorial were almost turned away after traveling hundreds even thousands of miles to see a tribute erected in their honor. It was only when they threated to go in anyway when they were granted entry. Several weddings schedule at National Parks have been rescheduled or moved while the couples were told they may not get their deposits and payments returned.
Military pay is not affected; however their bonuses and promotions have all been put on hold until the government can reach an agreement.
People who were using government loans to purchase homes have had to put off closing on their homes, maybe even risk losing it due to the inability for the government to come together.
Some Congressmen are either refusing their pay or donating it. While on one hand it seems honorable, on the other it seems like a hollow publicity ploy to get the U.S. Citizens on their side. Are they donating their pay to those who are going unpaid? Does it guarantee their jobs back? Is the donated pay going to help those who are depending on government loans to purchase their home?
In the U.S. Constitution it claims that the country will be run by a government “of the people and by the people.” It seems that the government has lost sight of this. They are only thinking of themselves and their agendas, not the people they are affecting.. They are not subject to the Affordable Healthcare Act that has sky rocketed premiums and deductibles so high that not only are the citizens paying for every procedure but giving the insurance companies money as well. The other side is digging their feet in so much that they have stopped people’s pay. They are all receiving pay and benefits even if they refuse it.
One party says the other is being unreasonable. That they will not be bullied into making changes. In fact every one of them is responsible for this shut down and being unreasonable. To say they are acting like children is giving them too much credit. Children find a way to work things out and get over their differences. While they continue to fight and argue their citizens are suffering. If only they would listen to us instead of trying to push their own agenda. As concerned citizen myself, I hope each and every one of the Senators and Congressman are looking for new jobs soon as well. They all deserve to be unemployed and subject to the same uncertainty they are putting us through. I love my country, I don’t feel the same way about the people running it.
Carisa Frisby
